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Arm & Hammer unwraps holiday engagement via scannable receipt promotion

Church & Dwight Co.?s Arm & Hammer brand is leveraging mobile for a holiday promotion by asking consumers to purchase boxes of baking soda, snap a photo of their receipt with their smartphones and text it to a designated number to receive a complimentary Martha Stewart recipe booklet.

The consumer packaged goods marketer has teamed up with Snipp to reward loyal shoppers with a download link for a free Martha Stewart electronic recipe booklet upon verification of the scanned receipt. While some consumers may balk at the requirement to take a photo of their proof of purchase, the holiday-themed incentive will likely be attractive enough to yield strong customer engagement for the brand.

?This well-targeted promotion will drive sales above and beyond the usual holiday sales uptick,? said Camille Kennedy, senior director of marketing at Snipp. ?The Martha Steward Living Cakes and Cupcakes eRecipe booklet reward we?re offering is extremely attractive to the target demographic; baking during the holidays is a huge undertaking for these consumers.

?Further, this promotion provides value beyond the usual discounts offered and is associated with a well-known celebrity and brand in the cooking and household care industry ? all great aspects for a brand looking to seek out differentiation during this competitive and crowded time,? she said.

?The mobile aspect of this campaign will also help drive sales given the sheer convenience of the program, with consumers only needing to snap a photo of their receipt to submit and receive their reward. Anything to make the shopping experience easier and simpler for consumers during this hectic time period is going to be a huge advantage for brands.?

Gateway to loyalty
Consumers in need of purchasing baking soda may now be swayed to buy from the Arm & Hammer brand instead of a competitor. The promotion, which is running now through January 15 of next year, arrives at an opportune time, as many shoppers will be searching for baking supplies to make sweet treats for holiday get-togethers.

Anyone who purchases two one-pound boxes of Arm & Hammer baking soda during a singular shopping trip can use a mobile device to snap a photo of the receipt. Consumers may then text the word ?HOLIDAY15? to 811811 and attach the image, or send it via email to .

Snipp?s SnippCheck platform will validate the receipts and later send the user a onetime link containing a download for a Martha Stewart Living Cakes and Cupcakes electronic booklet.

The incentive will likely be relevant for participants of the promotion, as they will be able to use their newly-bought baking soda to mimic some of the confectionary creations seen in the virtual cookbook.

The link will offer customers instructions on how to redeem their free electronic booklet.

Competitive tactics
Other consumer packaged goods marketers would be well-suited to use similar tactics this holiday season in a bid to grab more customers? loyalty. If shoppers have the option of buying a product arriving with an incentive over an item with no reward, they will most likely select the incentivized purchase.

Arm & Hammer is not the only brand offering tangible rewards to individuals who purchase its products.

PepsiCo is also taking to mobile to promote its National Football League sponsorship by encouraging users to text football-related keywords to a designated number and receive links to microsites offering sweepstakes entries to win Pepsi merchandise (see story).

Snipp previously teamed up with Unilever?s Axe brand, which leveraged an in-store partnership with Walmart in June that was designed to attract the brand's young male audience with relevant music downloads on mobile as a reward for purchasing products (see story).

?Digital interactions, such as those made through a smartphone, are expected to influence 64 percent of retail stores this holiday season which is why this receipt-based program is so perfectly suited for the holidays,? Ms. Kennedy said.

?In addition, this campaign features a product that is often used extensively during the holidays; traditionally for baking purposes, which is where the reward ties in, but also for household purposes like cleaning and deodorizing before guests arrive for the holidays,? she said.

?Thematically, the holidays are seen by consumers as being the season of giving, which the reward aspect of the promotion seamlessly ties into; it?s a great gift to be receiving at this time of the year.?

Final Take
Alex Samuely, editorial assistant on Mobile Marketer, New York